> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://jatan.space/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Why haven’t humans gone back to the Moon no longer a valid question thanks to NASA Artemis II lunar flyby - URL: https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-269/ - Published: 2026-04-06T23:20:28.000Z - Updated: 2026-04-07T10:42:36.000Z - Description: Plus: A poetic ode to our exploration of Luna | Moon Monday #269 - Author: Jatan Mehta - Tags: Moon Monday, Articles, US Artemis ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2026/04/artemis-ii-astronauts-launch-orion-earth-view.jpeg) The Artemis II launch, its four astronauts prior to liftoff, people cheering the launch, and the crew’s Orion spacecraft and its beautiful view of a crescent Earth. The flight crew from left to right: Mission Specialist [Jeremy Hansen](https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/canadian/active/bio-jeremy-hansen.asp), Pilot [Victor Glover](https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/victor-j-glover), Mission Specialist [Christina Koch](https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-h-koch), and Commander [Reid Wiseman](https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/reid-g-wiseman). [Images: NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-multimedia/) At long last, that moment is here. Humans have visited [our Moon](https://jatan.space/why-explore-the-moon/) again, ending a five-decade absence since Apollo. [Four astronauts](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/our-artemis-crew/) launched by NASA [on April 1](https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/liftoff-nasa-launches-astronauts-on-historic-artemis-moon-mission/) swung by the Moon and around [its farside](https://jatan.space/the-two-faced-moon/) on April 6\. For space nerds around the world, this [Artemis II](https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/) mission’s successful flight around Earth’s silvery cosmic companion finally puts an end to the question of “why haven’t we sent astronauts to the Moon again?”, which is often paired with “were the Apollo Moon landings fake?” The April Fools’ Day launch of Artemis II can perhaps be seen as tongue-in-cheek to that end but in all seriousness we gladly no longer have to counter as many Moon landing deniers and their hand-wavy rejections of the wavy-looking American flag on the Moon. Nor do we have to show pictures of Apollo landers [captured by non-US orbiters](https://www.backyardastronomyguy.com/apollo-isro) as unequivocal proof as many times, or bother explaining how [retroreflectors](https://web.archive.org/web/20160727220755/https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo%5F15/experiments/lrr) work nearly as much. The staunch deniers will still deny, especially since a [crewed lunar landing](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-267/) is yet to happen in this century to follow Artemis II. But denying should only become harder as time passes. NASA’s launch has lifted a significant weight off of all our shoulders while giving a vast majority of the world’s population crewed lunar views they were too young to have seen during Apollo missions. ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2026/04/artemis-ii-lunar-flyby-orientale.jpg) Our Moon’s nearside (top) and farside (bottom) as viewed during the April 6 lunar flyby of the Artemis II Orion spacecraft carrying crew. [Image: NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/image-detail/amf-art002e009276/) Seen prominently in the above view with its dark, volcanic center and raised mountainous ring is the massive 930-kilometer [Orientale basin](https://jatan.space/outstanding-orientale-multi-ring-basin-on-the-moon/). You can also spot [crater chains](https://jatan.space/outstanding-crater-chains-of-orientale/) radially emanating out of Orientale, which were created from huge blocks of falling material thrown across the Moon during Orientale’s energetic formation. Here’s a closer look at crater chains northwest of Orientale in prior robotic imagery captured by NASA’s [Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter](https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/) (LRO) to help you spot them. ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2026/04/orientale-crater-chains.jpeg) View of Orientale crater chains, with a zoomed version below. Remarkably, in the chain marked with the approximate 100-kilometer scale (red), each crater spans more than 10 kilometers across. [Image: NASA LROC Quickmap](https://quickmap.lroc.im-ldi.com/?camera=-904355.6256%2C-2539969.3227%2C101225.7311%2C0.3352%2C0.9414%2C-0.0375%2C0.0126%2C0.0353%2C0.9993%2C60&stack=64%2C3113&proj=22&defs=N4IgbALCBcoPYAcCGBjAlgFwJ4wIwF8AaEAZl1xJnmXWz33yA) Alexandra Witze (*Nature*) has provided fantastic [curated and contextualized live coverage](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00989-9) of the roughly [seven-hour Artemis II lunar flyby](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/05/artemis-ii-flight-day-5-correction-burn-complete/) from NASA’s Mission Control building in Houston. From her coverage: > Astronaut and pilot Victor Glover is describing some challenges in looking from his dim laptop to the bright Moon and back down again, all while juggling logistics to capture the grandeur of the moment. \[...\] The astronauts have reported seeing green and brown colors in the Aristarchus region of the Moon’s near side. That’s a part of the Moon that astronomers can see from Earth, but the report of color variations caused an excited murmur in the room. The scientists are keen to have any color reports like this from up close at the lunar surface. ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2026/04/artemis-ii-lunar-flyby-screens.jpeg) Mission screens (left) and simulated views (right) related to the Artemis II Orion spacecraft’s lunar flyby on April 6\. Images: NASA Artemis II [Livestream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-j1uxBmis0), [Gallery](https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/artemis-ii-mission-science/) and [Tracker](https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis-ii/arow/) ## Artemis II checkpoints The Artemis II mission’s technical performance seems to have been faring remarkably well, with only minor issues faced along the way considering the complexities of human spaceflight. Below is a list of all major milestones achieved by Artemis II. - The [SLS rocket](https://www.nasa.gov/reference/space-launch-system/) launched the astronaut-hosting [Orion](https://www.nasa.gov/missions/meet-nasas-orion-spacecraft/) spacecraft to elliptical Earth orbit [perfectly as intended](https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-artemis-ii-mission-leaves-earth-orbit-for-flight-around-moon/). - The [European Service Module](https://www.esa.int/Science%5FExploration/Human%5Fand%5FRobotic%5FExploration/Orion/European%5FService%5FModule) (ESM), which [powers and propels](https://www.esa.int/Science%5FExploration/Human%5Fand%5FRobotic%5FExploration/European%5FService%5FModule%5Fengines%5Fpowering%5FArtemis%5FII) the Orion spacecraft, [flew the astronauts to the Moon](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/02/artemis-ii-flight-day-2-orion-completes-tli-burn-crew-begins-journey-to-the-moon/) even better than expected. NASA [did not](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/03/artemis-ii-flight-day-3-outbound-trajectory-correction-burn-update/) [need](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/04/artemis-ii-flight-day-4-deep-space-flying-lunar-flyby-prep/) to conduct two out of [three](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/05/artemis-ii-flight-day-5-correction-burn-complete/) planned trajectory correction engine burns. NASA doesn’t explicitly formally mention the ESM much and bundles it with Orion but this mission continued the module’s [extra-reliable performance seen on Artemis I](https://blogs.esa.int/orion/2022/12/01/artemis-i-flight-day-15-go-for-leaving-moon-orbit/). And that’s despite astronauts moving around onboard the attached Orion capsule as well as the mission’s human waste venting activities as opposed to the uncrewed Artemis I flight. ESA has shared good details about the [decision making for engine firings](https://blogs.esa.int/orion/2026/04/02/how-to-go-to-the-moon/) of ESM. ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2026/04/artemis-ii-european-service-module.jpg) The European Service Module provides propulsion, power, and life support to the crew-hosting Orion capsule. [Image: ESA](https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/HRE/Moon%5FMedia%5FKit.pdf) - The [manual handling of Orion](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/04/artemis-ii-flight-day-4-crew-completes-manual-piloting-demonstration/) by all astronauts to test its [coarse and fine maneuvering](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/01/artemis-ii-flight-update-apogee-raise-burn-complete-crew-looks-ahead-to-proximity-operations/) and [docking abilities](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/01/artemis-ii-flight-update-proximity-operations-complete-perigee-raise-burn-up-next/) also went [as planned](https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/key-test-drive-of-orion-on-nasas-artemis-ii-to-aid-future-missions/). ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2026/04/artemis-ii-piloting-demo-test-illustration.jpg) Illustration of phases of the manual piloting test of the Orion spacecraft conducted in Earth orbit during Artemis II. [Image: NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/key-test-drive-of-orion-on-nasas-artemis-ii-to-aid-future-missions/) - Other than the [toilet clogging up](https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/artemis-ii-is-going-so-well-that-were-left-to-talk-about-frozen-urine/), the life support systems onboard Orion [seem to be functioning fine too](https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/four-astronauts-are-now-inexorably-bound-for-the-moon/) in keeping the crew [alive and well](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/02/artemis-ii-flight-day-2-orion-completes-tli-burn-crew-begins-journey-to-the-moon/). - Communications with Orion has been maintained throughout the mission so far [across multiple networks](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-260/#communicating-with-orion), with only minor disruptions here and there. Even the test of the [high-bandwidth, laser-based communications system](https://esc.gsfc.nasa.gov/news/Lasers%5FLight%5Fthe%5FWay%5Ffor%5FArtemis%5FII%5FMoon%5FMission), as an alternative to traditional radio transmissions, [worked well](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/04/artemis-ii-flight-day-4-deep-space-flying-lunar-flyby-prep/). - NASA and ESA report the crew’s health monitoring related [equipments](https://www.esa.int/Science%5FExploration/Human%5Fand%5FRobotic%5FExploration/European%5Feyes%5Fon%5FArtemis) and [experiments](https://www.nasa.gov/general/artemis-ii-crew-both-subjects-and-scientists-in-nasa-deep-space-research/) to be functioning fine too. - A test of the astronauts wearing their [Orion Crew Survival System](https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2025/11/27/what-is-the-artemis-orion-crew-survival-system/) (OCSS) suits [progressed through most of its objectives](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/05/artemis-ii-flight-day-5-correction-burn-complete/) as well, although NASA deferred Orion’s cabin depressurization test meant to be also conducted during that time. Overall, the Artemis II mission has helped characterize Orion’s [true in-space nature](https://jatan.space/how-we-test-moon-landers/), proving that the spacecraft can carry astronauts to the Moon with reliability. The flights of Orion on Artemis I and II will help NASA and ESA make the ship operational for [future Artemis missions](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-264/), wherein Orion has to [dock with landers in space](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-268/) which will then carry astronauts to the Moon’s surface for the US. ***Related:** [**How NASA planned to keep Artemis II astronauts safe throughout their Moon mission*](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-260/) 🛟 Through Artemis II, NASA has also successfully flown the first woman astronaut ([Christina Koch](https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-h-koch)), the first black person ([Victor Glover](https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/victor-j-glover)), and the first Canadian/non-American ([Jeremy Hansen](https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/canadian/active/bio-jeremy-hansen.asp)) to the Moon in a great show of diversity compared to past missions. This should help inspire more students and people globally who can better relate to these astronauts. ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2026/04/artemis-ii-astronauts-christina-koch-earth-moon-1.jpeg) ****Top left:** The Artemis II astronauts inside Orion; ****Bottom left:** Christina Koch gazes out at Earth from one of Orion’s main cabin windows; ****Right:** [Our Earth](https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/hello-world/) and [Moon](https://www.nasa.gov/image-detail/amf-art002e009212/) as captured from Orion. [Images: NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-multimedia/) ## Poem: An ode to our Moon The [success](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-107/) of NASA’s [Artemis I](https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-i/) robotic Moon mission, and its link to enabling the crewed Artemis II, had inspired me to write a poetic view of our exploration of the Moon. *A blaze aloft at night* *sent a glimmer of hope* *flying past the desolation* *It ignites around Moonshine,* *so we can all dazzle* *at the suspended blue marble* *It twinkles again across the void* *for a blistering comeback,* *and a tactful splash* *Let’s keep the path glowing* *for these engines of progress,* *so we can ferociously return* *To our cosmic companion,* *like never before.* ![The white, elongated Artemis I Orion spacecraft sporting various thrusters and NASA & ESA logos captured a view of our Moon and Earth in 2022 from a little distance away from the Moon such that our natural satellite appears larger than our planet due to apparent size differences.](https://jatan.space/content/images/2025/10/orion-space-earth-moon-us.jpg) The Orion spacecraft, part of NASA’s Artemis I mission, captured this view of our Moon and Earth in November 2022\. This vantage point in its lunar orbit lies roughly 70,000 and 430,000 kilometers away from the Moon and Earth respectively. [Image: NASA](https://images.nasa.gov/details-art001e000678) Poem part of [**Seven uni-verses**](https://jatan.space/seven-uni-verses-poetry/), my globally published poetry pamphlet. ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2025/11/share-seven-universes-poetry-qr-3.jpeg) #### Seven uni-verses (booklet) By [****Jatan Mehta**](https://jatan.space/about). Poetry on all that space evokes. [About & Read →](https://jatan.space/seven-uni-verses-poetry/) --- **Many thanks to* [***Open Lunar Foundation**](https://www.openlunar.org)**,* [***Gurbir Singh**](https://linkedin.com/in/gurbirsinghinfosec)**,* [***Henry Throop**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-throop-a47a6a7) *and* [***Gordon Roesler**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordon-roesler-687a0426) *for being Moon Monday sponsors. 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